India vs South Africa | Friday 2 October 2015 | Dharamsala, India | 15:30
The Proteas get their much-anticipated tour of India underway in earnest on Friday in the scenic town of Dharamsala. Both teams will want to set the tone for the rest of the tour with a solid performance in the opening fixture while simultaneously trying to find their best combinations for the upcoming World T20 which gets underway on Indian soil in March next year.
To Win Match
India – 15/20
Tie – 35/1
South Africa – 11/10
South Africa
The South Africans will be reeling after being defeated by an effectively third-string Indian side in a practice T20 match in New Delhi earlier in the week. The tourists failed to defend a total of 189 in a game which saw Quinton de Kock’s miserable run with the bat continue after being run out for two. More encouraging, however, was the form of AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy who all made meaningful contributions to the total.
With frontline bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel being rested for the T20 games, the Proteas will be looking for more from the likes of Kyle Abbott, Kagiso Rabada, Marchant de Lange and Imran Tahir; all who seemed to struggle in the game against India A.
The series will more than likely hinge on how well South Africa cope with India’s slower bowlers. The advent of the IPL, however, means that no less than 10 of the players in the South African squad will have consistently played and trained in Indian conditions over the last few years. This will certainly level the playing fields somewhat, especially in terms of the T20 series where a number of South African batsmen have set the IPL alight with some explosive innings over the last few seasons.
India
India will be looking to bounce back having drawn their last T20 series in Zimbabwe. MS Dhoni returns to captain the limited-overs teams in his first outing since India’s shock 2-1 ODI series defeat by Bangladesh in June.
While India are considered favourites for the tie, the Asian juggernauts have only played three international T20 games since suffering defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka in the World T20 final in April last year. The squad has been together for some time now having taken part in extensive
training camp programmes in Bengaluru and more recently in Dharamsala.
All eyes will be on the explosive Indian top order who will look to take advantage of South Africa’s weakened bowling attack.
VERDICT: India 15/20
India have the power to overwhelm just about any bowling attack in the world, especially on home soil where they can be frighteningly prolific. Add to this the fact that the tourists will be without two of their most senior bowlers, expect the Indian batsmen to get stuck in. The South Africans come into the game seemingly unsure of their best combinations while the Indians look to have a much more settled starting XI.
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